1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

The car will be a 1990 Corvette and from what I can tell will fall into D, E or F/FI (IHRA). 3149 lbs + 170 lbs for the driver = 3319 lbs. The engine is currently (NHRA) rated at 260 HP, so 12.77 lbs/hp or a natural E/FI. From the quick checking I’ve done it appears that this could be a good combo. The L98 has a roller cam, aluminum heads and Tuned Port Injection. The Corvette has great weight distribution and a sleek body.

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The car is actually a 1984 and had a Cross Fire Injected 400 ci small block backed by a 700 R4 and Dana 36. I’ve had the car for 13 years driving it to high school and college. It has also made lots of passes down the ¼ mile, with a best ET of 13.99. I painted the car 2 winters ago and planned to simple enjoy the car on the street until one September weekend the car wouldn’t start. That’s all the motivation I needed to turn it into a stocker.

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While I’ve been driving my dad’s Stock and Super Stock cars for the past 12 years, this will be my first build. I’m a 29 year old Mechanical Engineer with some fabricating skills, limited tools, small garage and a new family, so cost (begin laughing here) will be a major consideration. My goal is to run 11.95 (12.40 Index IHRA) and I would like to have it on the track in 2014.

Hopefully you folks enjoy the build and can help me out along the way!

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

One of the first projects that I tackled after purchasing my new Miller Diversion 165 TIG was to add manual brakes and a clutch pedal. We’ve run a hydraulic clutch in my dad’s Firebird Stocker since we built the car. The hydraulic clutch works great, it’s compact and most importantly it’s consistent. So I didn’t think twice about installing a Wilwood pedal set-up. Yes it’s more expensive than running a stock master cylinder (as Billy showed in his stocker for under a grand thread) but considering the price to purchase a stock clutch pedal (Corvette parts are overpriced) and the availability of spare parts, it made sense to go aftermarket.

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Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

Pierce,

Welcome to the fold, and good luck with your project. Keep the pictures coming. Are you planning to run a solid axle, or keep the independent? I've seen a lot of really slick solid axle set ups for C4 Corvettes, particularly those done by Jimmy Parker.

Ben
B/S 3869

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

Looks good! Should be fun with the stick!

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

Thought you might have seen one of those Vettes somewhere before. LOL
Your automatic car turned out really well.

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

Very cool!

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

This will be a fun build to follow!

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

Mr. Ed,

I had flashbacks of the building process after seeing these pictures!

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

Ben - The car is getting a 12 bolt. The main reasons for the solid axle was is cost and familiarity. Pictures will be posted soon.

Thanks for the ecouragement guys.

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

The roll cage was a pre-bent Jegster kit. All in all I thought the kit was fairly well put together. The bends had some deformation which is expected with a non mandrel bent tube but all of the required pieces were there. I used an 1 5/8” hole saw and a carbide bit to make all of the fish mouths. I’m by no means a fabricator but the welds and fitment are presentable. The welds were made with the Miller TIG.

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Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

Cool build! Thanks for sharing!

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

Your off to a great start! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us!

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

Will the '90 dash bolt up with the same brackets and fastners as the '84(direct replacement)?

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

I'm not a tech guy but if I were you I would find one and ask about the master cylinders and aftermarket pedals. I've never seen that in a stocker.

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

I was thinking the same thing

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

Greg and Chad - Thanks for the heads up. I've kept the original brake pedal and master cylinder assembly. I could re-install it along with a stock clutch pedal if required.

SS 230 - Great question...... I'm not sure:confused:. If the car comes out of the gates as an 87, 88 or 89 it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

84-96 is considered a C4. I am not 100% certain, but I think the main body structure is the same. So, I would think the 90 model dash would bolt up.

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

It's all interchangeable, I've had several of those cars.

Re: 1990 Corvette Stick Stocker
 

For those unfamiliar with the Corvette IRS, here’s a side shot. The entire rear end assembly bolts into the car. The composite spring attaches to the outer knuckle. 2 control arms per side bolt to the chassis with an aluminum bracket. What’s not shown here is the aluminum torque arm that supports the transmission tail housing.

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As mentioned early I will be installing a 12 bolt because it was free (thanks dad) and familiarity. I started with a stock 12 bolt. After chopping the brackets and carefully measuring I chopped the ends off in a chop saw. Since the suspension needs to be of stock type I decided to run a torque arm set-up similar to the F-Bodies. I bolted and tack welded the tubes to the housing.

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The lower control arm mounts were made of 2” square and bolted in the stock location as the IRS arms.

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I was able to design a mount that would attach the spring, sway bar, shock, lower control arm and panhard bar. Thanks to BDM Millwright who CNC plasma cut the mounts for me. The material is ¼” mild steel. The axle ends are the large bearing Moser units. Through-out the process I simply relied on my trusty Mastercraft electronic level.

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I decided to run the torque arm up the passenger side of the car. This will hopefully give more room around the shifter when pulling the tranny out. The torque arm mount is made out of 1/8” steel and will be bolted and welded to the rear end housing.

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I fabricated a 2” square mount for the composite spring, which mounts to the IRS mounting tabs. The spring had to be shifted rear to accommodate an extra thick rear cover.

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